THE untimely death of John Hughes robbed the thoroughbred and sport horse sectors of one of its great characters. A gentlemen through and through, this giant of a man will leave a vast void in the lives of many, but nowhere will his loss be felt more acutely than in his family and his close circle of friends.

His life’s work is a great legacy, and he touched so many lives through his work, professionally and with the St Vincent de Paul organisation. Goodness and kindness were hallmarks of the man, as was his love for his darling wife Roz, his children, grandchildren and his many friends and colleagues.

His daughter Rosalind paid a moving, loving and heartfelt tribute to her father at his funeral mass. Born in Kilkenny, in Cuffesgrange, in 1941, she said that “he absolutely adored his mother, and only ever spoke of her with a smile on his face”. In 1958 he moved to Dublin to study veterinary medicine in UCD and lived with his brother Andy. He graduated in 1964.

“In 1965 he won life’s lottery at the Listowel races when he met our mother, and they were married a year and a bit later in Lexington, Kentucky. It was love at first sight and he loved her with every shred of his being until the day he died. She was a shining goddess on a pedestal to him, and they had some amazing alchemy together,” Rosalind said.

Adventures, achievements and many friendships (Egan, Pim and Fallon families in particular) ensued and lasted a lifetime. Kentucky was the foundation for his professional life before he returned to Ireland in the early 1970s. His professional relationship with Tim Rogers in Airlie Stud brought him to the front and centre of the Irish thoroughbred scene, and through that connection he and Roz came to Williamstown, his home for 44 years.

Devastating blow

In 1993 disaster struck when his brother Seamus died, in his fifties, and it was a devastating blow. As head of the family he had been a hugely important figure to John. They had bought Cavalier Royale, a stallion who was to have a significant and lasting impact on breeding.

Rosalind told the congregation: “His truest currency in life was people. He valued friends and friendships above everything else. There are so many, many people who considered John Hughes their friend. And he was uncle John or grandad John to many who were not related to him.

“He treated everybody the same. And through that openness and inclusivity he really made a broad range of friends, all of whom enriched his life in return in some way. He only saw the best in people, and he had a childlike innocence that allowed him to form strong bonds with younger members of the family. He was always looking to help others and he would have given away his last cent if someone needed it more than he. He was involved in St. Vincent de Paul for years and loved the people he worked with there.”

He loved his dogs and it is said that there is hardly a picture of John without either a dog or a child, or both, in his arms. He was working right up until the day he died. Rosalind concluded by saying: “What will he leave behind? Memories of fond friends, special relationships, warmth, generosity, and a unique gentle giant of a man.”

John is survived by his children Jonny and Rosalind, six grandchildren, son-in-law Kieran, daughter-in-law Annette, brother Andrew, brother-in-law George, sisters-in-law Mary and Ann, nieces, nephews, relatives and friends. John was predeceased by his wife Rosalind, brothers Seamus and Thomas, and his sister Ita (Brennan).